Containable

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. Having the ability to be restrained within specific boundaries Allowing for management or organization without exceeding prescribed limits Possessing the quality of being kept within a defined space without surpassing restrictions
2. Able to be held or kept within certain limits or boundaries without escaping
3. Susceptible to being confined or managed so that it does not extend beyond set parameters

Etymology: "Containable" is a plain English formation: the verb "contain" with the suffix "-able," meaning "capable of being." The verb itself reached English through Old French "contenir," which came from Latin "continēre," literally "to hold together" or "to hold in," built from "con-" ("together") and "tenēre" ("to hold"). The same Latin stem gives English "tenant," "tenure," and "retain," all of which keep the sense of holding something in place. The suffix has a longer pedigree than the verb. "-able" traces back through Old French "-able" to Latin "-ābilis" and "-bilis," forms that marked something that could be done to or by something. English took the suffix on widely in the medieval period, and it became productive enough that writers could attach it to almost any transitive verb, which is how "containable" came about.

Synonyms: containable, manageable

Antonyms: unmanageable